Ali & Jay creates marketplace with Malibu pop-up

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Jun 23, 2016

LA lifestyle dress brand Ali & Jay is opening its first retail pop-up at the Malibu Lumber Yard with the feel of a millennial shopping marketplace.

Ali & Jay is owned by parent company The Bailey Group, and was launched to fill what CEO Chris Tate explained to be a gap in the market for entry level contemporary dresses. The brand is marketed to the LA girl who does not want to be seen in the same dress twice.

“I think there’s such a compression that’s happening right now between fast-fashion and traditional contemporary [lines],” Tate said.

Ali & Jay dresses are currently sold at Nordstrom, Shopbop and Bloomingdale's in the $100-$150 price range.

The 800-square-foot Malibu Lumber Yard pop-up shop is designed to cater to millennial shopping habits.

“People shop differently now. They don’t necessarily want to wear a singular brand head to toe,” Tate said. “They like to mix things up. We’re more interested in creating a marketplace experience. It feels authentic and the way that Millennials shop.”

In addition to dresses, the pop-up will sell candy, food, accessories, jewelry, makeup and have a braid bar.

It’s “boutique meets lounge meets marketplace,” explained Melanie Bender, vice president of marketing at The Bailey Group. “[Customers] appreciate the functionality of being able to shop and experience things all in one place.”

The Ali & Jay pop-up will open in July in Malibu.